Folding walker assembly



June 23, 1970 w. A. RIGAL 3,516,425

FOLDING WALKER ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 12. 1968 United States Patent3,516,425 FOLDING WALKER ASSEMBLY Waldo A. Riga], 408 E. Jefferson St.,Mount Pulaski, Ill. 62548 Filed Nov. 12, 1968, Ser. No. 775,026 Int. Cl.A61h 3/00 U.S. Cl. 13545 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A foldingwalker assembly for use by an invalid requiring assistance in walkingwhich can be easily and quickly folded or opened for use forming agenerally U-shaped enclosure to support the invalid in a stable manner.The Walker includes two inverted U-shaped frame members providing thesides of the walker and the four supporting feet, the frames beingjoined by a collapsible connecting bar assembly pivotally mounted ateach end on each frame member. A folding table having a generallyrectangular shape may be secured along one edge to a connecting strip onone frame member, and the opposite edge is supported upon a connectingstrip in the opposite frame member; the table being hinged intermediatethe adjacent edges to collapse upon the folding of the walker unit.

The present invention relates to a walker assembly for invalids, andmore particularly to a folding walker assembly which is easily andquickly folded or opened for use and is easily carried or held when inits folded condition.

Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of a foldingwalker assembly of much lighter weight than conventional commerciallyavailable models and which can be quickly and easily folded andunfolded. When folded, the assembly is compact and easily carried in anautomobile, bus or train or to a meeting without taking up an undueamount of extra space. The assembly can be quickly folded upon enteringa bus or train without causing undue delay and inconvenience to others.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a foldingwalker unit having a pair of inverted U-shaped frame members forming thefour legs of the walker and a collapsible connecting bar assemblypivotally mounted on one leg of each frame member to form theintermediate side of the three-sided assembly. The ends of the legs ofthe frame members have conventional rubber protective feet thereon forstability, or the front two legs or all four legs can have casterssecured thereon for an easily movable unit. It appears preferable tohave casters on the front legs and rubber feet on the rear legs with thecasters providing ease of mobility and the rubber feet providing a brakefor the casters.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a foldingwalker assembly having a collapsible table thereon to carry smallobjects and which is hinged to collapse as the walker unit is folded.The table includes a generally rectangular surface hinged at spacedpoints along parallel lines with the opposite end edges of the rectanglebeing supported on support strips on the walker frame units. One endedge of the rectangle is secured to 3,51,425 Patented June 23, 1970 thesupport strip in one frame member and the opposite edge rests on theother support strip.

The present invention also comprehends the provision of a folding walkerassembly having a novel method of height adjustment which is solid andrattle-free. To adjust the height of the legs, a foot stump is formedhaving an upper portion telescoping into the leg of the frame member andterminating at its lower end in a collar which will abut the lower endof the leg. The stump includes a spring member with ends protrudingthrough the telescoping portion to frictionally retain the stump in theleg. Also, additional rings may be positioned over the telescopingportion to abut the collar and raise the height of the frame member.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity,efiiciency, economy and ease of assembly and operation, and such furtherobjects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear andare inherently possessed thereby.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the folding walker assembly of thepresent invention in an opened out position to more clearly see thestructure including a collapsible table unit.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the walker assembly in the normalthree-sided position of the walker in use and showing in dotted linesthe opened position of the walker of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the walker assembly in its folded position.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the collapsible table unit forthe walker assembly.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the free edge of the table unittaken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is front elevational view of a foot stump for the walker unitposition in a leg of the Walker assembly.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the foot stump.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawing wherein isshown an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1discloses a folding walker assembly 10 formed of a pair of frame units11 and 12 joined by a collapsible connecting bar assembly 13. Each frameunit 11 and 12 is of an inverted U-shape having a pair of legs 14 and 15joined by an upper connecting portion 16 having one or more suitablehand grips 17 thereon. A connecting brace 18 extends between and issecured at its opposite ends to the legs 14! and 15 adjacent but spacedabove the rubber feet 19 located on the ends 21 of the legs. The bracesmay extend through the legs and be secured by cap screws, not shown,although welding or other securing means could be utilized.

The front leg 14 is joined to the upper connecting portion 16 at anangle of approximately while the rear leg 15 is joined to the connectingportion at an angle of approximately to improve the stability of theunit. The connecting bar assembly 13 includes two pair of upper andlower connecting bars 22 and 23 connected at their opposite ends in apair of generally T-shaped hollow pivot members 24 with a stem 25receiving the bar 22 or 23 which is secured therein, and a cross bar 26encompassing the leg 14 of the frame unit or a center pivot rod 27. Thepivot member 24 is positioned on the leg 14 or pivot rod 27 by a pair ofcollars 28, 28 secured on the leg by rivets or set screws 29 above andbelow the pivot member 24 at the ends of the cross bar 26.

Extending between the legs 14 and 15 above the upper pivot member 23 ineach frame unit 11 and 12 is a support bar 31 and 32, respectively, forsupporting the edges of a folding table unit 33 (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 4).The folding table unit 33 is an optional attachment and FIG. 3 disclosesthe walker assembly 10 with the table unit 33 omitted. The table unit 33has the general form of a rectangle and includes a generally rectangularsection 34 having an edge 35 defined by an angle member 36 securedthereto, and having a pair of spaced depending bolts 37, 37 which extendthrough aligned vertical openings in the support bar 31 and are securedthereto by wing nuts 38, 38. This table section 34 is always retained ina horizontal position on the walker. A rectangular center section 39 ishinged to section 34 by a continuous or other suitable hinge 41 securedto the undersides of the sections 34 and 39.

A rectangular section 42 is hinged to the section 39 by a continuoushinge 43 similar to hinge 41, and the edge 44 of this section 42 also isdefined by an angle member 45 which will engage the support bar 32 tolimit opening of the walker assembly. When the walker assembly isfolded, the hinged sections 42 and 39 are progressively collapsed aslater described. The angle member 45 includes a pair of spaced dependingpins 46, 46 adapted to be received in spaced openings 47, 47 when thewalker assembly is in fully open position (see FIGS. 4 and FIG. 2discloses in partial dot-dash lines the position of the walker assemblyin the open position of FIG. 1, and the normal three-sided position insolid lines with the frame units 11 and 12 parallel and at right anglesto the connecting bar assembly 13. When the assembly is folded, theframe unit 12, as seen in FIG. 2 is moved laterally relative to theframe unit 11 while the connecting bar assembly 13 is collapsing by thepivot rod 27 moving inward toward the user and the bars 22, 22, 23, 23pivoting on the pivot members 24 about the rod 27 and the front legs 14,14. This folds the walker assembly 10 into a relatively flat compactunit as shown in FIG. 3.

If the table unit 33 is attached to the walker assembly 10, the tableunit 33 is extended flat with the angle mem- 'ber 36 secured to thesupport bar 31 and the angle member 45 engages the support bar 32 withthe pins 46 engaging the openings 47 to stabilize the walker assembly 10in the normal three-sided position as previously described. When theWalker assembly is folded, the connecting bars 22, 22, 23 and 23 arerotated inwardly between the frame units 11 and 12 and the table beginsto slide over the support bar 32, once the pins 46, 46 are released,until the hinge 43 is reached. Upon further rotation, the section 42 isfolded downward over the bar 32 due to hinge 43. Upon continuedrotation, the section 39 is also folded downward over the bar 32 due tothe hinge 41, and the sections 39 and 42 hang downwardly from thehorizontally disposed section 34. The width of section 34 is such as notto interfere with the closing movement of the connecting bars 22, 22,23, 23 or the frame member 12.

FIGS. 6 and 7 disclose a foot stump 48 utilized for adjusting the heightof the legs of the walker assembly 10. The legs 14 and of the framemembers 11 or 12 are hollow tubular legs having rubber feet 19 on theends 21 thereof. The foot stump 48 includes a tubular insert 49 of anexternal diameter to telescope within the hollow end 21 of the leg 14 or15 and an integral collar 51 of th same diameter as the leg. The collar51 receives the rubber foot 19 at the lower end and forms a shoulder 52against which the end 21 of the leg 14 or 15 abuts. A worm-like spring53 is positioned in the upper end of the insert 49 and has endsprotruding through openings 54 in the insert 49 to frictionally engagethe internal wall of the end 21 and retain the insert 48 therein.

To provide greater adjustability in height of the legs, a series ofrings or collars 55 of varying height are provided of the same internaland external diameters as the leg end 21, and which are slipped over thetubular insert 49 to abut the shoulder 52 of the collar 51. The leg end21 then will abut the edge of the ring 55 thus raising the height of theleg. One or more rings 55 could be utilized on each foot stump 48. Thestump is also provided with opposite transverse openings 56 in thecollar 51 adjacent the rubber foot 19 for the insertion of a tool to aidin inserting or extracting the stump 48 from the leg end 21.

If desired, the rubber feet 19 can be replaced with casters, not shown,for greater ease of mobility. All four legs 14, 14, 15, 15 could havethe casters thereon, however, it is preferabe to use the casters only onthe front legs 14, 14 and retain the rubber feet 19 on the rear legs 15,15. In this manner, the rubber feet 19 will serve as a brake to preventuncontrolled movement of the walker. Thus, by raising the rear legs offof the floor, the walker can be moved forward on the casters, and byreturning the rear legs to engage the floor, movement stops.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim:

1. A folding walker assembly comprising a pair of inverted generallyU-shaped frame units having front and rear legs, a collapsibleconnecting bar assembly pivotally mounted at each end onto the frontlegs of the frame members, a collapsible table unit, a first support barextending between the front and rear legs of one frame unit and a secondsupport bar extending between the legs of the other frame unit tosupport said table, said table having a generally rectangularconfiguration with two 0pposite edges supported on said support bars.

2. A folding walker assembly as set forth in claim 1, in which saidtable includes a generally rectangular first section secured at one edgeon the first support bar, a central rectangular section hinged at oneedge to the opposite edge of the first section, and an outer rectangularsection hinged to a second edge of said central rectangular section andsupported on its outer edge on said second support bar.

3. A folding walker assembly as set forth in claim 2, in which the outeredges of said table have metal angle reinforcing members with outerdepending edges adapted to engage said support bars and limit the extentof opening of the walker assembly.

4. A folding walker assembly as set forth in claim 3, in which said edgeof the table supported by said second support bar has at least onedepending bolt, said first support bar having at least one opening toreceive the depending pin.

5. A folding walker assembly as set forth in claim 3, in which the edgeof the table supported by said first support bar has at least onedepending bolt, said first support bar having at least one opening toreceive the depending bolt projecting therethrough, a nut threadinglyengaging the end of the bolt below said first support bar, the oppositeedge of the table having at least one depending pin, and said secondsupport bar having at least one opening to receive the depending pin.

6. A folding walker assembly comprising a pair of inverted generallyU-shaped frame units having front and rear legs, and a collapsibleconnecting bar assembly pivotally mounted at each end onto the frontlegs of the frame member, including two pair of upper and lowerconnecting bars, a central pivot rod, and a pivot member at each end ofeach connecting bar, said connecting bars each being pivoted at one endon said pivot rod and at the opposite end on the front leg of a frameunit.

7. A folding walker assembly as set forth in claim 6, including a stumpcomprising a tubular insert telescopically received in the lower end ofa leg of a frame unit, a collar integral with the tubular insert andadapted to abut the end of the leg, means frictionally retaining thestump in the leg, and one or more spacer rings encompassing said tubularinsert between and abutting the end of the leg and the integral collarto adjust the height of the leg of the walker assembly.

References Cited UNITED Spiselman 248161 X 6 FOREIGN PATENTS 7/1955Australia. 2/1963 Great Britain.

5 J. KARL BELL, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 248-157; 297l55

